1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for inhibiting corrosion, and, in one of its aspects, relates more particularly to inhibiting the corrosion of steel, especially steel exposed to an aqueous acidic environment. The process of this invention involves the use of an inhibiting amount of a dialkylaminomethyl aromatic triazole.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various 1,2,3-benzotriazoles have been used as corrosion inhibitors, chemical intermediates, fungicides, catalysts, plant growth regulators, and anti-tarnish agents. One of the difficulties in utilizing triazoles is their relatively limited solubility in acidic environments. The dialkylaminomethyl aromatic triazoles of this invention have excellent corrosion inhibiting properties even in acidic solutions.
The manufacture of dialkylaminomethyl aromatic triazoles by a Mannich condensation of an aromatic triazole, formaldehyde and a secondary amine has been described in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Volume 74, Page 3868 (Burckhalter et al.). This procedure was done merely to identify the structure of the benzotriazoles and provides no indication of utility of the product.